As the annual US-South Korea joint military exercise approaches, I believe that Trump will use it to execute a first strike at North Korea. China and Russia will be impotent to stop it

[lo yeeOn]

US and South Korea to stage huge military exercise despite North Korea
crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/11/north-korea-us-south-korea-huge-military-exercise

Tens of thousands of troops to take part in joint drill this month,
while Trump adds to war of words with `locked and loaded' tweet

US and South Korean militaries will go ahead with massive sea, land
and air exercises later this month, despite a spiralling situation
in which North Korea has threatened to fire missiles towards a US
Pacific territory.

The annual joint exercises, named Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, have long
been planned for 21-31 August, but now come at a time when both
Washington and Pyongyang are on heightened alert, raising the
spectre of a mishap or overreaction.

The timing is doubly concerning as it is within a timeframe in which
Pyongyang says it will be ready to fire four Hwasong-12
intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the US-run island of
Guam, an unusually specific threat against the US.

Washington and Seoul say the exercises, involving tens of thousands
of American and South Korean troops, are a deterrent against North
Korean aggression.

In the past, the practices are believed to have included
"decapitation strikes"

Trump kept the pressure up with a tweet on Friday morning
threatening Pyongyang but indicating he wanted to avoid hostilities:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Military solutions are now fully in place,locked and loaded,should
North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another
path! 4:29 AM - Aug 11, 2017

Note the words "Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!"

What does Trump mean by "another path"? To me, he is talking about
North Korea's pursuit of nuclear deterrence for self-defense, which he
has said in the past that he would not allow.

But that would mean that Trump was hinting at launching a first strike
against North Korea even without the latter starting a war first -
which is a key condition for China to come to its neighbor's aid in
case of aggression.

And Trump is probably thinking that the joint-military exercise with
Japanese and South Korean forces would provide camouflage for a
surprise attack a la "decapitation". Since North Korea's hands will
be tied by Trump's "if you do anything to us" warning, it will not be
able to stop any US strike soon enough by attacking the launching
sites such as Guam, for example. [China can't help NK because it's
bound by its pledge to stay neutral if NK launches an attack first -
which would include its preemptive strike on Guam, for example.]

And China won't be able to stop the regime change, even though a
People's Daily publication claims that China would try to prevent the
US from executing its regime-changing war.

China and Russia will all be helpless. And there will be no North
Korea afterwards. And American Exceptionalism will remain intact and
unchallenged!

So, is Trump a military geniius or what?

My guess is, Trump will succeed at this phase but fail more miserably
than G W Bush did vis-a-vis the attack of Iraq, afterwards.

There will be a tremendous "day-after" mess that he can't deal with.
The Korean peninsula will be a mess and that mess will spread to the
US continent eventually just as the Libyan mess eventually spread to
Europe.

lo yeeOn

1) China's strongest effort to date with respect to the Korean crisis.

[It might sound Solomonic on paper but it will fall miserably short as
I explained above. lo yeeOn]

https://www.rt.com/news/399310-china-prevent-us-strike-nkorea/

China will prevent the US and South Korea from carrying out strikes on
North Korea and trying to overthrow the leadership there, but will
remain neutral if Pyongyang launches missiles at American targets
first, the state-run Global Times said.

The warning, delivered through an editorial in the Chinese state-run
newspaper on Thursday, comes as both the US and North Korea continue
to exchange incendiary remarks, raising the risk of overreaction or
miscalculation amid the crisis.

Beijing should make it clear that "if North Korea launches missiles
that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay
neutral," the Global Times wrote.

But if the US and its ally South Korea take on Pyongyang and try to
"overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of
the Korean Peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so," the
paper stressed.

The widely-quoted newspaper, published by the Communist Party's
official People's Daily, also noted that the latest developments are
seen in Beijing with growing frustration and deep concern.

"If war really breaks out, the US can hardly reap any strategic
harvest and "North Korea will face unprecedented risks," the paper
cautioned. "North Korea aims to propel the US to negotiate with it,
while the US wants to put North Korea in check."

Beijing was unable "to persuade Washington or Pyongyang to back down
at this time," the Global Times said, adding it primarily pursues
peace and stability in the region. All sides involved in the crisis
should understand that "when their actions jeopardize China's
interests, China will respond with a firm hand," the government paper
explained.

China ... reiterated on Friday that all sides involved in the crisis
must "speak and act with caution" as well as build up trust rather
than "taking turns in shows of strength," according to a Foreign
Ministry statement quoted by Reuters.







2) https://www.rt.com/news/399310-china-prevent-us-strike-nkorea/

China will prevent the US and South Korea from carrying out strikes on
North Korea and trying to overthrow the leadership there, but will
remain neutral if Pyongyang launches missiles at American targets
first, the state-run Global Times said.

The warning, delivered through an editorial in the Chinese state-run
newspaper on Thursday, comes as both the US and North Korea continue
to exchange incendiary remarks, raising the risk of overreaction or
miscalculation amid the crisis.

Beijing should make it clear that "if North Korea launches missiles
that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay
neutral," the Global Times wrote.

But if the US and its ally South Korea take on Pyongyang and try to
"overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of
the Korean Peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so," the
paper stressed.

The widely-quoted newspaper, published by the Communist Party's
official People's Daily, also noted that the latest developments are
seen in Beijing with growing frustration and deep concern.

"If war really breaks out, the US can hardly reap any strategic
harvest and "North Korea will face unprecedented risks," the paper
cautioned. "North Korea aims to propel the US to negotiate with it,
while the US wants to put North Korea in check."

Beijing was unable "to persuade Washington or Pyongyang to back down
at this time," the Global Times said, adding it primarily pursues
peace and stability in the region. All sides involved in the crisis
should understand that "when their actions jeopardize China's
interests, China will respond with a firm hand," the government paper
explained.

China ... reiterated on Friday that all sides involved in the crisis
must "speak and act with caution" as well as build up trust rather
than "taking turns in shows of strength," according to a Foreign
Ministry statement quoted by Reuters.

[lo yeeOn]

Post by lo yeeOn

Post by lo yeeOn
US and South Korea to stage huge military exercise despite North Korea
crisis

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/11/north-korea-us-south-korea-huge-military-exercise

Post by lo yeeOn
Tens of thousands of troops to take part in joint drill this month,
while Trump adds to war of words with `locked and loaded' tweet
US and South Korean militaries will go ahead with massive sea, land
and air exercises later this month, despite a spiralling situation
in which North Korea has threatened to fire missiles towards a US
Pacific territory.
The annual joint exercises, named Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, have long
been planned for 21-31 August, but now come at a time when both
Washington and Pyongyang are on heightened alert, raising the
spectre of a mishap or overreaction.
The timing is doubly concerning as it is within a timeframe in which
Pyongyang says it will be ready to fire four Hwasong-12
intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the US-run island of
Guam, an unusually specific threat against the US.
Washington and Seoul say the exercises, involving tens of thousands
of American and South Korean troops, are a deterrent against North
Korean aggression.
In the past, the practices are believed to have included
"decapitation strikes"
Trump kept the pressure up with a tweet on Friday morning
Military solutions are now fully in place,locked and loaded,should
North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another
path! 4:29 AM - Aug 11, 2017
Note the words "Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!"
What does Trump mean by "another path"? To me, he is talking about
North Korea's pursuit of nuclear deterrence for self-defense, which he
has said in the past that he would not allow.
But that would mean that Trump was hinting at launching a first strike
against North Korea even without the latter starting a war first -
which is a key condition for China to come to its neighbor's aid in
case of aggression.
And Trump is probably thinking that the joint-military exercise with
Japanese and South Korean forces would provide camouflage for a
surprise attack a la "decapitation". Since North Korea's hands will
be tied by Trump's "if you do anything to us" warning, it will not be
able to stop any US strike soon enough by attacking the launching
sites such as Guam, for example. [China can't help NK because it's
bound by its pledge to stay neutral if NK launches an attack first -
which would include its preemptive strike on Guam, for example.]
And China won't be able to stop the regime change, even though a
People's Daily publication claims that China would try to prevent the
US from executing its regime-changing war.
China and Russia will all be helpless. And there will be no North
Korea afterwards. And American Exceptionalism will remain intact and
unchallenged!
So, is Trump a military geniius or what?
My guess is, Trump will succeed at this phase but fail more miserably
than G W Bush did vis-a-vis the attack of Iraq, afterwards.
There will be a tremendous "day-after" mess that he can't deal with.
The Korean peninsula will be a mess and that mess will spread to the
US continent eventually just as the Libyan mess eventually spread to
Europe.
lo yeeOn
1) China's strongest effort to date with respect to the Korean crisis.
[It might sound Solomonic on paper but it will fall miserably short as
I explained above. lo yeeOn]
https://www.rt.com/news/399310-china-prevent-us-strike-nkorea/
China will prevent the US and South Korea from carrying out strikes on
North Korea and trying to overthrow the leadership there, but will
remain neutral if Pyongyang launches missiles at American targets
first, the state-run Global Times said.
The warning, delivered through an editorial in the Chinese state-run
newspaper on Thursday, comes as both the US and North Korea continue
to exchange incendiary remarks, raising the risk of overreaction or
miscalculation amid the crisis.
Beijing should make it clear that "if North Korea launches missiles
that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay
neutral," the Global Times wrote.
But if the US and its ally South Korea take on Pyongyang and try to
"overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of
the Korean Peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so," the
paper stressed.
The widely-quoted newspaper, published by the Communist Party's
official People's Daily, also noted that the latest developments are
seen in Beijing with growing frustration and deep concern.
"If war really breaks out, the US can hardly reap any strategic
harvest and "North Korea will face unprecedented risks," the paper
cautioned. "North Korea aims to propel the US to negotiate with it,
while the US wants to put North Korea in check."
Beijing was unable "to persuade Washington or Pyongyang to back down
at this time," the Global Times said, adding it primarily pursues
peace and stability in the region. All sides involved in the crisis
should understand that "when their actions jeopardize China's
interests, China will respond with a firm hand," the government paper
explained.
China ... reiterated on Friday that all sides involved in the crisis
must "speak and act with caution" as well as build up trust rather
than "taking turns in shows of strength," according to a Foreign
Ministry statement quoted by Reuters.
2) https://www.rt.com/news/399310-china-prevent-us-strike-nkorea/
China will prevent the US and South Korea from carrying out strikes on
North Korea and trying to overthrow the leadership there, but will
remain neutral if Pyongyang launches missiles at American targets
first, the state-run Global Times said.
The warning, delivered through an editorial in the Chinese state-run
newspaper on Thursday, comes as both the US and North Korea continue
to exchange incendiary remarks, raising the risk of overreaction or
miscalculation amid the crisis.
Beijing should make it clear that "if North Korea launches missiles
that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay
neutral," the Global Times wrote.
But if the US and its ally South Korea take on Pyongyang and try to
"overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of
the Korean Peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so," the
paper stressed.
The widely-quoted newspaper, published by the Communist Party's
official People's Daily, also noted that the latest developments are
seen in Beijing with growing frustration and deep concern.
"If war really breaks out, the US can hardly reap any strategic
harvest and "North Korea will face unprecedented risks," the paper
cautioned. "North Korea aims to propel the US to negotiate with it,
while the US wants to put North Korea in check."
Beijing was unable "to persuade Washington or Pyongyang to back down
at this time," the Global Times said, adding it primarily pursues
peace and stability in the region. All sides involved in the crisis
should understand that "when their actions jeopardize China's
interests, China will respond with a firm hand," the government paper
explained.
China ... reiterated on Friday that all sides involved in the crisis
must "speak and act with caution" as well as build up trust rather
than "taking turns in shows of strength," according to a Foreign
Ministry statement quoted by Reuters.

North Korea doesn't have the power to take on the U.S.
And Uncle Sam has too much on his plate in the Middle East, the South
China Sea, and Ukraine.
Nothing will happen.

Of Course, North Korea "doesn't have the power to take on the U.S." as
you said. But North Korea said it would take on the U.S., **only if**
the latter attacks it first.

And that is the whole story about why NK talks about plan to strike
Guam because if the U.S. is going to attack North Korea, which is a
highly probable event since Trump has been saying that he would not
allow them to have nukes - a working nuclear deterrence program, it is
most likely going to come from Guam.

So, if North Korea gets wind that the U.S. is about to come and try to
knock out their nuke-development facilities, it might react by
shooting at Guam to forestall the attacks. Now, the August U.S.-South
Korean joint drill with guns "locked and loaded", these guns would all
mostly likely come from Guam but North Korea won't be able to stop
them because if they shoot first, the U.S. will pounce and knock the
shi*t out of them.

Of course, without reacting to the aggression, North Korea will also
be bombed if Trump wants it bombed. So, either way, North Korea will
be bombed.

And what makes you think that the U.S. is too tied up to do anything?

Of course, as I said, the aftermath will be worse than that of Iraq.

But with Linsey Graham, John Bolton, John McCain goading Trump and
taunting him for not taking actions, Trump is being pushed into a
disaster.

You think that it won't happen because Trump has too much on his plate
because of of Middle East? Did Obama tell himself: "I better not bomb
Libya because the Iraq War and the Afghan War were still going?" No,
when the imperialist Deep State wants to assert hegemony, it will act
wherever his presence is required. Nothing would stop him. Otherwise,
it will not be seen as exceptional any more.

Of course, I hope I am wrong because if the Koreans live, I will be
grateful and then my detractors will be proven wrong too because they
believe that Trump is the biggest warmonger among his 2016 rivals.

But most of my fellow netizens don't seem to have a consistent view of
what it means to attack North Korea.

They keep believing the implied MSM narrative that Kim's North Korea
wants to attack the U.S. without being attacked first.

But if you check around, you hear many experts tell you North Korea's
consistent aim: to have nuclear deterrence for self-defense.

Even the current National Intelligence Director Dan Coates has said as
much at the Aspen Security Forum where national security was talked
about as an academic subject.

National Intelligence Director Dan Coats was seen speaking at the
Aspen Security Forum and told the audience:

Kim Jong-un is a very unusual type of person. He's not crazy.

And there is some rationale backing his actions, which are
survival - survival for his regime, survival for his country.

And he has watched, I think, what has happened around the world
relative to nations that possess nuclear capabilities and the
leverage they have, and seen that having the nuclear card in your
pocket results in a lot of deterrence capability. The lessons
that we learned out of Libya giving up its nukes and Ukraine
giving up its nukes is, unfortunately, if you have nukes, never
give them up.

Amy Goodman: That's Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.
[For more see the first attachment below.]

And you seem to have two classes of messages: one being that North
Korea recognizes the importance of nuclear deterrence for its survial
while the other being that the U.S. is too busy to deal with the
so-called North Korea problem, ignoring all the American
exceptionalism pressure on Trump to do something belligerent,
anything. One being that Kim or the NK leadership is crazy and the
other being that they are not. Very confusing!

But we will find out very soon and I won't be disappointed if Trump
suddenly has an epiphany and decides that his evangelist advisor is
wrong to tell him that God authorized him to nuke North Korea.

I think everybody deserves to live. And the first step in a peaceful
solution to the North Korea problem is to take our troops out of South
Korea and stop those annual military drills that are provocative to
North Korea. For as long as we are taking those hostile actions, we
can't say we don't allow you to defend yourself. That is no way to
treat other human beings, especially at the state-to-state level.

Anyhow, if you think Trump is not planning to make a first strike on
North Korea, then what does he mean, in the same breath as he warns
North Korea that our guns are "locked and loaded", by

Post by lo yeeOn

Post by lo yeeOn
Note the words "Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!"
What does Trump mean by "another path"? To me, he is talking
about North Korea's pursuit of nuclear deterrence for
self-defense, which he has said in the past that he would not
allow.

lo yeeOn

---------

1) Forget Russia. Is Provoking a Nuclear War with North Korea Grounds
for Impeachment?

longtime investigative journalist Allan Nairn said [7:45]:
In more rational times, what Trump said yesterday would be an
article of impeachment. ... But with what he's doing now, provoking
North Korea, risking actual destruction of part of the U.S., he's
violating the system's rules on its own terms. He's committing an
actual threat against U.S. national security.

National Intelligence Director Dan Coats was seen speaking at the
Aspen Security Forum and told the audience:

Kim Jong-un is a very unusual type of person. He's not crazy.

And there is some rationale backing his actions, which are survival
- survival for his regime, survival for his country. And he has
watched, I think, what has happened around the world relative to
nations that possess nuclear capabilities and the leverage they
have, and seen that having the nuclear card in your pocket results
in a lot of deterrence capability. The lessons that we learned out
of Libya giving up its nukes and Ukraine giving up its nukes is,
unfortunately, if you have nukes, never give them up.

Amy Goodman: That's Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.

Allan Nairn:

About the establishment narrative that there are no good options
about the north korea situation, they are talking about military
options.

But as part of their goal of regime survival, one thing that the
North Korean regime has always said is that they have two principal
goals. One is to stop the U.S.-South Korean military exercises,
which are provocative. And, two, end the Korean War.

There's an armistice now. But the Korean War is not formally over.
That is the kind of thing that, if the U.S. were serious. it could
sit down on the table ...

. . .

And politically, I think that Trump is just one quick war away from
curing most of his political ills. (The establishment press wants
to worship the presidency but Trump wouldn't let them because of his
comportment - the way he acts...)

Today (Aug 9, 2017) marks the 72nd anniversary of the U.S. atomic
bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people [right
away]. That came only three days after the U.S. dropped the first
atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing 140,000 people [right away].

This is president Harry Truman speaking on August 6, 1945, hours after
he bombed Hiroshima.

President Harry Truman: If they do not accept our terms, they may
expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been
seen on this earth.

[lo yeeOn]

Post by lo yeeOn

Post by lo yeeOn
North Korea doesn't have the power to take on the U.S.
And Uncle Sam has too much on his plate in the Middle East, the South
China Sea, and Ukraine.
Nothing will happen.

Of Course, North Korea "doesn't have the power to take on the U.S." as
you said. But North Korea said it would take on the U.S., **only if**
the latter attacks it first.

Even Donald Trump is not that stupid to attack North Korea knowing full
well North Korea has nukes. Japan and South Korea will not allow it to
happen.

No, first neither Japan nor South Korea will be able to tell the
U.S. what it can or cannot do. (Remember that President Moon was kept
in the dark when more THAAD components were shipped to Seoul after he
became the president of SK?)

Second, Trump has repeatedly said that he would not **allow** NK to
have nukes, period - deterrence or not.

Third, Trump has very powerful people in Washington goading him on to
do something about North Korea so that it won't be able to stop us
from doing things in Far East Asia. (Letting North Korea have nukes
has the effect of telling the world that the U.S. has lost a lot of
influence.)

Trump's denuclearization strike plan (amidst the fog of diplomacy) is
becoming increasingly clear. It's telling North Korea that the
U.S. is not attempting regime change at this point in time, unless it
fires at U.S. assets - which will trigger immediate and irrevocable
reaction from the mighty U.S. military. So, if the NK elites aren't
crazy people, they will likely let the B2s take out their nuke
facilities like what happened in Operation Babylon, aka Operation
Opera, of 1981, when Israel took out the nuclear facility in Iraq. Or
look at what happened in Operation Orchard (2007), when Israel took
out a suspected reactor in Syria. Of course we all know the
subsequent travails of the people of Iraq and Syria. But at the
moment when somebody more powerful come in and tell you what you
cannot have, you'll just meekly let them in exchange for another day
in the sun. You choose the least bad option!

What Trump is doing to North Korea now is no different from those.

Basically, Trump was bargaining with North Korea. You won't live
long; but we'll spare you right now if you sit tight. ...

Fourth, China's Xi has gone to bed with Trump and when the Chinese
paper suggests that China will stay neutral, it is actually stating
China's official position v North Korea right now. It says it is all
for "denuclearization" on the Korean peninsula. That means that when
Trump sends the B2s to "denuclearize" the NK regime, China won't
object. And while North Korea can do a preemptive strike at the
incoming B2s, it cannot do so without exposing itself to Trump's ire
at the same time exposing itself to be an isolated target since China
will make good on its promise of not coming to NK's defense. But in
any case, NK is doomed when it doesn't have China to come to its aid.

And either way, North Korea has no good option.

North Korea will be a goner in a few years at the most, even if it
sits tight when Trump's B2s come and bomb out its nukes plus a few
more of those artillery sites behind the North's mountains. (What
happened to Iraq, after all?)

Fifth, Trump has been able to co-opt China to make his life easy by
making China oblige to be on the sidelines so that our bombers wouldn't
have to worry about PLA fighter planes nipping at their tails.

So, sixth, all Trump needs to do is to bark as loud as possible to
warn North Korea not to do anything stupid such as shooting at Guam.

If they hear it like many of us in America have, then they will meekly
walk away from their hard-earned nukes in exchange for a little more
(miserable) time in the sun. Pathetic, isn't it? But that is the
reality since nobody today is willing to pay the price of crossing the
U.S.!

(This is no longer 1945 or 1953. Putin is not Stalin and Xi is not
Mao who had a son who died fighting alongside the DPRK soldiers.)

Finally, Trump apparently took time to call the governor of Guam and
reassure him with the words: "we'll do a great job ... don't worry
about a thing ..." Now let me ask you why Trump was talking about
doing a great job that might worry the people of Guam? If Trump were
only talking about North Korea's threat, he could have easily said:
"don't worry about a thing ... 'cause North Korea won't dare to do
anything without facing annihilation from our ire (or our bombers)."

Why did Trump mention doing "a great job"? What job was he thinking
about doing that might affect Guam?

Ok, my friend?

Cheers,

lo yeeOn

Post by lo yeeOn
And that is the whole story about why NK talks about plan to strike
Guam because if the U.S. is going to attack North Korea, which is a
highly probable event since Trump has been saying that he would not
allow them to have nukes - a working nuclear deterrence program, it is
most likely going to come from Guam.

Whether Trump likes it or not, North Korea already has the nukes and
they are ready to use it. Guam is just a side-show. Guam is only used
as an example. Guam is too small to be of any significance.

Post by lo yeeOn
So, if North Korea gets wind that the U.S. is about to come and try to
knock out their nuke-development facilities, it might react by
shooting at Guam to forestall the attacks.

I wouldn't worry about Guam. Worry about Soul and Tokyo.

Post by lo yeeOn
Now, the August U.S.-South
Korean joint drill with guns "locked and loaded", these guns would all
mostly likely come from Guam but North Korea won't be able to stop
them because if they shoot first, the U.S. will pounce and knock the
shi*t out of them.
Of course, without reacting to the aggression, North Korea will also
be bombed if Trump wants it bombed. So, either way, North Korea will
be bombed.

Donald Trump would be stupid to start another war when we have so many
going around already. Another war will enable ISIS, the Taliban, Al
Qaeda,... to start bigger attacks on American/Allies' force.

Post by lo yeeOn
And what makes you think that the U.S. is too tied up to do anything?

We are trying to send more troops to Afghanistan. Iran's constant
harassment of American warships is something to think about. It will
give China a chance to fortify the artificial islands,...

Post by lo yeeOn
Of course, as I said, the aftermath will be worse than that of Iraq.

Yes.

Post by lo yeeOn
But with Linsey Graham, John Bolton, John McCain goading Trump and
taunting him for not taking actions, Trump is being pushed into a
disaster.

Yes, it will not help.

Post by lo yeeOn
You think that it won't happen because Trump has too much on his plate
because of of Middle East?

Yes, and the South China Sea, Ukraine, and Russia...
< Did Obama tell himself: "I better not bomb

Post by lo yeeOn
Libya because the Iraq War and the Afghan War were still going?" No,
when the imperialist Deep State wants to assert hegemony, it will act
wherever his presence is required. Nothing would stop him. Otherwise,
it will not be seen as exceptional any more.

I think Americans in general believe we are not exceptional. We have as
much trouble as others...

Post by lo yeeOn
Of course, I hope I am wrong because if the Koreans live, I will be
grateful and then my detractors will be proven wrong too because they
believe that Trump is the biggest warmonger among his 2016 rivals.

Donald Trump is all mouth, and nothing much else. He has big plans of
his own, but so far, he has done nothing. His programs have created
huge out-roars and nothing else.

Post by lo yeeOn
But most of my fellow netizens don't seem to have a consistent view of
what it means to attack North Korea.

Nobody knows, including Kim Jong Un himself.

Post by lo yeeOn
They keep believing the implied MSM narrative that Kim's North Korea
wants to attack the U.S. without being attacked first.

Of course, American propaganda has always been the biggest and the loudest...

Post by lo yeeOn
But if you check around, you hear many experts tell you North Korea's
consistent aim: to have nuclear deterrence for self-defense.

I have been saying that all along.

Post by lo yeeOn
Even the current National Intelligence Director Dan Coates has said as
much at the Aspen Security Forum where national security was talked
about as an academic subject.
National Intelligence Director Dan Coats was seen speaking at the
Kim Jong-un is a very unusual type of person. He's not crazy.
And there is some rationale backing his actions, which are
survival - survival for his regime, survival for his country.
And he has watched, I think, what has happened around the world
relative to nations that possess nuclear capabilities and the
leverage they have, and seen that having the nuclear card in your
pocket results in a lot of deterrence capability. The lessons
that we learned out of Libya giving up its nukes and Ukraine
giving up its nukes is, unfortunately, if you have nukes, never
give them up.

I have been saying it, too.

Post by lo yeeOn
Amy Goodman: That's Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.
[For more see the first attachment below.]
And you seem to have two classes of messages: one being that North
Korea recognizes the importance of nuclear deterrence for its survial
while the other being that the U.S. is too busy to deal with the
so-called North Korea problem, ignoring all the American
exceptionalism pressure on Trump to do something belligerent,
anything. One being that Kim or the NK leadership is crazy and the
other being that they are not. Very confusing!

I have been saying today's world problems are mostly caused by the U.S.

Post by lo yeeOn
But we will find out very soon and I won't be disappointed if Trump
suddenly has an epiphany and decides that his evangelist advisor is
wrong to tell him that God authorized him to nuke North Korea.
I think everybody deserves to live. And the first step in a peaceful
solution to the North Korea problem is to take our troops out of South
Korea and stop those annual military drills that are provocative to
North Korea. For as long as we are taking those hostile actions, we
can't say we don't allow you to defend yourself. That is no way to
treat other human beings, especially at the state-to-state level.

Yes, classic examples are Libya and Iraq,... and the president of Chile
being forced to land in Austria!!!
Little Cuba stood up against the tyrant and won (of course with Russia
behind his back)!!!

Post by lo yeeOn
Anyhow, if you think Trump is not planning to make a first strike on
North Korea, then what does he mean, in the same breath as he warns
North Korea that our guns are "locked and loaded", by

This is something we have to wait and see...

Post by lo yeeOn
lo yeeOn
---------
1) Forget Russia. Is Provoking a Nuclear War with North Korea Grounds
for Impeachment?

It depends on the senators. They have the authority to vote for
impeachment. Since the GOP has a majority in the Senate, the chance is
not good.

Post by lo yeeOn
http://youtu.be/Q8sOsQu7OAA
In more rational times, what Trump said yesterday would be an
article of impeachment. ... But with what he's doing now, provoking
North Korea, risking actual destruction of part of the U.S., he's
violating the system's rules on its own terms. He's committing an
actual threat against U.S. national security.
National Intelligence Director Dan Coats was seen speaking at the
Kim Jong-un is a very unusual type of person. He's not crazy.
And there is some rationale backing his actions, which are survival
- survival for his regime, survival for his country. And he has
watched, I think, what has happened around the world relative to
nations that possess nuclear capabilities and the leverage they
have, and seen that having the nuclear card in your pocket results
in a lot of deterrence capability. The lessons that we learned out
of Libya giving up its nukes and Ukraine giving up its nukes is,
unfortunately, if you have nukes, never give them up.
Amy Goodman: That's Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.
About the establishment narrative that there are no good options
about the north korea situation, they are talking about military
options.
But as part of their goal of regime survival, one thing that the
North Korean regime has always said is that they have two principal
goals. One is to stop the U.S.-South Korean military exercises,
which are provocative. And, two, end the Korean War.
There's an armistice now. But the Korean War is not formally over.
That is the kind of thing that, if the U.S. were serious. it could
sit down on the table ...
. . .
And politically, I think that Trump is just one quick war away from
curing most of his political ills. (The establishment press wants
to worship the presidency but Trump wouldn't let them because of his
comportment - the way he acts...)
Today (Aug 9, 2017) marks the 72nd anniversary of the U.S. atomic
bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people [right
away]. That came only three days after the U.S. dropped the first
atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing 140,000 people [right away].
This is president Harry Truman speaking on August 6, 1945, hours after
he bombed Hiroshima.
President Harry Truman: If they do not accept our terms, they may
expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been
seen on this earth.

[lo yeeOn]

Post by lo yeeOn
No, first neither Japan nor South Korea will be able to tell the
U.S. what it can or cannot do. (Remember that President Moon was kept
in the dark when more THAAD components were shipped to Seoul after he
became the president of SK?)

South Korea and Japan will have a say on war with North Korea. It's
their lives.

Did the Iraqis or Afghans have a say on our wars against them? Are
you saying they didn't have a life? Did the Serbs and others in the
former Yugoslavia have a say on our war against them? Their lives
counted very little. The Serbs resisted a lot longer than Clinton's
NATO expected. Then,

Victor Chernomyrdin, Yeltsin's envoy, flew to Belgrade to persuade
Milosevic to accept NATO's terms - or face an escalation of the war.
(Neil Clarke, independent Irish journalist)

You know that the people of South Korea mean very little to the ruling
class of this country. Otherwise they wouldn't have to put up with
THAAD system, components of which were shipped in despite the newly
elected president's objection.

And today, what was in the news vis-a-vis the South Koreans? It's
quite interesting how the BBC News and the UK Independent headlined it
compared with that of the New York Times.

First, the NYT:
US General and South Korean Leader Push for Diplomacy on North Korea

The BBC News:
North Korea crisis: South's leader in plea to avoid war

The Independent:
South Korea in plea to avoid North Korea war after Trump's 'locked
and loaded' comment

The popularly elected president of South Korea is pleading with the US
to seek only peaceful means to the "crisis".

But what does our top military official told him (in the name of
transparency), his job is to make sure that the military option is
ready against North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called on his US ally to help
prevent a war, amid worsening tension over the North's nuclear
threat.

Mr Moon told the visiting top US military official that there must
be a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Gen Joseph Dunford said the US priority was diplomacy but he added
that it was committed to defending the South against a possible
military attack.

First, let me ask you why would our Joint Chiefs chairman be playing
the role of a diplomat? So, the NYT's headline is just bogus!

You don't send the top US military official to conduct diplomacy; you
send him to let everyone - who needs to know - know that a military is
at the top of the U.S. administration's agenda.

In fact, the NYT board had two editorials showing its concern about
the development of the Korean crisis. In one, it scolded Mike Pence
for blustering. In the other, it urged Trump to send Rex Tillerson,
our top diplomat, to go to Pyongyang to seek talk with the North. The
NYT did not suggest that Trump send his top military officer to read a
prepared statement about a war is coming - and coming soon - in order
to back up a "diplomatic" mission.

So, as we come to "diplomacy", let me now ask you
What diplomacy?

And if there is one, how soon, realistically, would anyone expect it
to work?

Ostensibly, the sleep-walking Xi of China thinks that by imposing
economic sanctions as required by the latest UN resolution and by
pleading all sides to cool down, then nothing will happen.

I never understand these economic sanctions. If they work, it will
take time for the victims of your sanctions to feel the pains and
change their mind to your desire.

But there is no indication that the "lock and load" military posture
is designed to accompany the diplomatic slogan for months and years
to have an effect.

Washington's diplomacy clearly means that it wants its victims to
surrender and surrender fully now.

If there is any doubt, read the followings and in particular, the part
from the Wall Street Journal:

"The United States military's priority is to support our government's
efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
through diplomatic and economic pressure," General Dunford was
quoted as saying in a Korean-language statement released by Mr.
Moon's office after the meeting. "We are preparing a military
option in case such efforts fail."

Note the words "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through
diplomatic and economic pressure" and "We are preparing a military
option in case such efforts fail".

General Dunford's remarks were echoed by Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis and Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who co-wrote an
opinion column posted online Sunday by The Wall Street Journal
asserting that the United States and its allies wanted a peaceful
resolution.

Without mentioning Mr. Trump's "fire and fury" and "lock and load"
threats to North Korea, they wrote that the administration was
applying "diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea to achieve
the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula and a dismantling of the regime's ballistic-missile
programs".

Note the words "the complete, verifiable and irreversible
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a dismantling of the
regime's ballistic-missile programs".

You know, denuke and denude sound very close and they also carry
eerily similar meanings for North Korea.

You, rst0wxyz has said not too long ago that North Korea is in no
position to challenge the U.S. and obviously it knows what you know.
So, it's not about to start a fight with the U.S. But when the ruling
elite of this country says you can't have your nuclear deterrence. It
means what Trump and all his relevant officials have all said:

Denuclearization!

Not only denuclearization but also the destruction of its
ballistic-missile programs.

"complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula and a dismantling of the regime's
ballistic-missile programs"

And not by some date in the future, but now. And that's the meaning
of the Joint-Chiefs chairman's "transparency". Trump sent his top
military man to tell the South Koreans: "Stop dreaming. Our planes
are coming. Whether you like it or not, we're going to wipe out North
Korea's relevant facilites with our powerful bombs!"

To understand what Washington has in mind for denuking and dismantling
North Korea, read article about Israel's Operation Opera (aka
Operation Babylon) 1981 against Iraq's nuclear reactors in 1981 and
also its Operation Orchard in 2007 - an airstrike on a suspected
nuclear reactor in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria. Those strikes
only destroyed the nuke development facilities. They were limited
operations, leaving the Iraqi and Syrian regimes intact for the time
being but permanently weak in the long haul.

We know what happened to Iraq. If Russia did not come to Syria's aid,
it would have gone Iraq's way too. So, what it means for North Korea,
now? It is not gonna be the Israeli military. It will be the even
more powerful U.S. military. Is someone gonna come to North Korea's
rescue? No, because like you, my friend, have repeatedly said, the
U.S. government will not tolerate any country which is not with it!

Trump has made China's Xi say "I'm a 100% for denuclearization of the
Korean peninsula".

And now, Trump's Joint Chiefs chairman Dunford will make sure that
Xi's top military official will be equally and wholeheartedly on board
for the U.S. military's denuclearization and dismantling of the
North's ballistic-missile programs.

In Russia, Putin's government is also very cautious. It doesn't want
to get in a fight with the mighty hegemon.

Finally, Trump is making sure that the North Koreans know that
Pyongyang will be spared if it sits and watches stoically the
destruction of its nuclear facilities and ballistic-missile programs -
for now! And that explains why Trump was ranting and raving about the
costs for the North if they return fire at the coming fire.

And that's why Trump was reassuring the Guam governor that his
military would be doing a great job and the people of Guam would have
nothing to worry about.

So the South Koreans can plead or they can protest. But the Korean
people, north or south, do not count!

By the way, do you know how many South Koreans were killed by American
troops during the Korean War from some sixty years ago? Read Kevin
Zeese and Margaret Flowers' well-researched article.

So, the reason why Trump has been yelling like Kim for a good reason.
He is trying to minimize the cost of going belligerent against North
Korea. It may or may not work. But if Kim will be like Saddam for
Iraq or Assad for Syria. They would sit tight and count the days that
they would also go their ways.

Ok, my friend?

Cheers,

lo yeeOn

Post by lo yeeOn
Second, Trump has repeatedly said that he would not **allow** NK to
have nukes, period - deterrence or not.

North Korea already has nukes, and ICBMs capable of hitting the U.S.
mainland. North Korea, like China, has thousands of miles of tunnels.
It will not be easy to defeat North Korea. It will be another one like
the Vietnam War, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, the Syria War,...

Post by lo yeeOn
Third, Trump has very powerful people in Washington goading him on to
do something about North Korea so that it won't be able to stop us
from doing things in Far East Asia. (Letting North Korea have nukes
has the effect of telling the world that the U.S. has lost a lot of
influence.)
Trump's denuclearization strike plan (amidst the fog of diplomacy) is
becoming increasingly clear. It's telling North Korea that the
U.S. is not attempting regime change at this point in time, unless it
fires at U.S. assets - which will trigger immediate and irrevocable
reaction from the mighty U.S. military. So, if the NK elites aren't
crazy people, they will likely let the B2s take out their nuke
facilities like what happened in Operation Babylon, aka Operation
Opera, of 1981, when Israel took out the nuclear facility in Iraq. Or
look at what happened in Operation Orchard (2007), when Israel took
out a suspected reactor in Syria. Of course we all know the
subsequent travails of the people of Iraq and Syria. But at the
moment when somebody more powerful come in and tell you what you
cannot have, you'll just meekly let them in exchange for another day
in the sun. You choose the least bad option!
What Trump is doing to North Korea now is no different from those.
Basically, Trump was bargaining with North Korea. You won't live
long; but we'll spare you right now if you sit tight. ...
Fourth, China's Xi has gone to bed with Trump and when the Chinese
paper suggests that China will stay neutral, it is actually stating
China's official position v North Korea right now. It says it is all
for "denuclearization" on the Korean peninsula. That means that when
Trump sends the B2s to "denuclearize" the NK regime, China won't
object. And while North Korea can do a preemptive strike at the
incoming B2s, it cannot do so without exposing itself to Trump's ire
at the same time exposing itself to be an isolated target since China
will make good on its promise of not coming to NK's defense. But in
any case, NK is doomed when it doesn't have China to come to its aid.
And either way, North Korea has no good option.
North Korea will be a goner in a few years at the most, even if it
sits tight when Trump's B2s come and bomb out its nukes plus a few
more of those artillery sites behind the North's mountains. (What
happened to Iraq, after all?)
Fifth, Trump has been able to co-opt China to make his life easy by
making China oblige to be on the sidelines so that our bombers wouldn't
have to worry about PLA fighter planes nipping at their tails.
So, sixth, all Trump needs to do is to bark as loud as possible to
warn North Korea not to do anything stupid such as shooting at Guam.
If they hear it like many of us in America have, then they will meekly
walk away from their hard-earned nukes in exchange for a little more
(miserable) time in the sun. Pathetic, isn't it? But that is the
reality since nobody today is willing to pay the price of crossing the
U.S.!
(This is no longer 1945 or 1953. Putin is not Stalin and Xi is not
Mao who had a son who died fighting alongside the DPRK soldiers.)
Finally, Trump apparently took time to call the governor of Guam and
reassure him with the words: "we'll do a great job ... don't worry
about a thing ..." Now let me ask you why Trump was talking about
doing a great job that might worry the people of Guam? If Trump were
"don't worry about a thing ... 'cause North Korea won't dare to do
anything without facing annihilation from our ire (or our bombers)."
Why did Trump mention doing "a great job"? What job was he thinking
about doing that might affect Guam?
Ok, my friend?
Cheers,
lo yeeOn

[lo yeeOn]

Post by lo yeeOn
No, first neither Japan nor South Korea will be able to tell the
U.S. what it can or cannot do. (Remember that President Moon was kept
in the dark when more THAAD components were shipped to Seoul after he
became the president of SK?)

South Korea and Japan will have a say on war with North Korea. It's
their lives.

Did the Iraqis or Afghans have a say on our wars against them? Are
you saying they didn't have a life? Did the Serbs and others in the
former Yugoslavia have a say on our war against them? Their lives
counted very little. The Serbs resisted a lot longer than Clinton's
NATO expected. Then,

Victor Chernomyrdin, Yeltsin's envoy, flew to Belgrade to persuade
Milosevic to accept NATO's terms - or face an escalation of the war.
(Neil Clarke, independent Irish journalist)

You know that the people of South Korea mean very little to the ruling
class of this country. Otherwise they wouldn't have to put up with
the THAAD system, components of which were shipped in despite the
newly elected president's objection.

And today, what was in the news vis-a-vis the South Koreans? It's
quite interesting how the BBC News and the UK Independent headlined it
compared with that of the New York Times.

First, the NYT:
US General and South Korean Leader Push for Diplomacy on North Korea

The BBC News:
North Korea crisis: South's leader in plea to avoid war

The Independent:
South Korea in plea to avoid North Korea war after Trump's 'locked
and loaded' comment

The popularly elected president of South Korea is pleading with the US
to seek only peaceful means to the "crisis".

But what did our top military official tell him (in the name of
transparency), his job is to make sure that the military option is
ready against North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called on his US ally to help
prevent a war, amid worsening tension over the North's nuclear
threat.

Mr Moon told the visiting top US military official that there must
be a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Gen Joseph Dunford said the US priority was diplomacy but he added
that it was committed to defending the South against a possible
military attack.

First, let me ask you why would our Joint Chiefs chairman be playing
the role of a diplomat? So, the NYT's headline is just bogus!

You don't send the top US military official to conduct diplomacy; you
send him to let everyone - who needs to know - know that a military
action is at the top of the U.S. administration's agenda.

In fact, the NYT board had two editorials showing its concern about
the development of the Korean crisis. In one, it scolded Mike Pence
for blustering. In the other, it urged Trump to send Rex Tillerson,
our top diplomat, to go to Pyongyang to seek talk with the North. The
NYT did not suggest that Trump send his top military officer to read a
prepared statement about a war is coming - and coming soon - in order
to back up a "diplomatic" mission.

So, as we come to "diplomacy", let me now ask you
What diplomacy?

And if there is such a program, how soon, realistically, would
anyone expect it to work?

Ostensibly, the sleep-walking Xi of China thinks that by imposing
economic sanctions as required by the latest UN resolution and by
pleading to all sides to cool down, then nothing will happen.

I never understand these economic sanctions. If they work, it will
take time for the victims of your sanctions to feel the pain and
change their mind to your desire.

But there is no indication that the "lock and load" military posture
is designed to accompany the diplomatic slogan for months and years
to have an effect.

Washington's diplomacy clearly means that it wants its victims to
surrender and surrender fully now.

If there is any doubt, read the following and in particular, the part
from the Wall Street Journal:

"The United States military's priority is to support our government's
efforts to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
through diplomatic and economic pressure," General Dunford was
quoted as saying in a Korean-language statement released by Mr.
Moon's office after the meeting. "We are preparing a military
option in case such efforts fail."

Note the words "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through
diplomatic and economic pressure" and "We are preparing a military
option in case such efforts fail".

General Dunford's remarks were echoed by Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis and Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who co-wrote an
opinion column posted online Sunday by The Wall Street Journal
asserting that the United States and its allies wanted a peaceful
resolution.

Without mentioning Mr. Trump's "fire and fury" and "lock and load"
threats to North Korea, they wrote that the administration was
applying "diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea to achieve
the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula and a dismantling of the regime's ballistic-missile
programs".

Note the words "the complete, verifiable and irreversible
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a dismantling of the
regime's ballistic-missile programs".

You know, denuke and denude sound very close and they also carry
eerily similar meanings for North Korea.

You, rst0wxyz, have said not too long ago that North Korea is in no
position to challenge the U.S. and obviously it knows what you know.
So, it's not about to start a fight with the U.S. But when the ruling
elite of this country says you can't have your nuclear deterrence. It
means what Trump and all his relevant officials have all said:

Denuclearization!

Not only denuclearization but also the destruction of its
ballistic-missile programs.

"complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula and a dismantling of the regime's
ballistic-missile programs"

And not by some date in the future, but now. And that's the meaning
of the Joint-Chiefs chairman's "transparency". Trump sent his top
military man to tell the South Koreans: "Stop dreaming. Our planes
are coming. Whether you like it or not, we're going to wipe out North
Korea's relevant facilites with our powerful bombs!"

To understand what Washington has in mind for denuking and dismantling
North Korea, read an article about Israel's Operation Opera (aka
Operation Babylon) against Iraq's nuclear reactors in 1981 and also
its Operation Orchard in 2007 - an airstrike on a suspected nuclear
reactor in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria. Those strikes only
destroyed the nuke development facilities. They were limited
operations, leaving the Iraqi and Syrian regimes intact for the time
being but permanently weak in the long haul.

We know what happened to Iraq. If Russia did not come to Syria's aid,
it would have gone Iraq's way too. So, what does it mean for North
Korea, now? It is not gonna be the Israeli military. It will be the
even more powerful U.S. military. Is someone gonna come to North
Korea's rescue? No, because like you, my friend, have repeatedly
said, the U.S. government will not tolerate any country which is not
with it!

Trump has made China's Xi say "I'm 100% for denuclearization of the
Korean peninsula".

And now, Trump's Joint Chiefs chairman Dunford will make sure that
Xi's top military official will be equally and wholeheartedly on board
for the U.S. military's denuclearization and dismantling of the
North's ballistic-missile programs.

In Russia, Putin's government is also very cautious. It doesn't want
to get in a fight with the mighty hegemon.

Finally, Trump is making sure that the North Koreans know that
Pyongyang will be spared if it sits and watches stoically the
destruction of its nuclear facilities and ballistic-missile programs -
for now! And that explains why Trump was ranting and raving about the
costs for the North if they return fire at the coming fire.

And that's why Trump was reassuring the Guam governor that his
military would be doing a great job and the people of Guam would have
nothing to worry about.

So the South Koreans can plead or they can protest. But the Korean
people, north or south, do not count!

By the way, do you know how many South Koreans were killed by American
troops during the Korean War from some sixty years ago? Read Kevin
Zeese and Margaret Flowers' well-researched article.

So, Trump has been yelling like Kim for a very good reason. He is
trying to minimize the cost of going belligerent against North Korea.
(The same cost issue has in fact consistently prevented former
administrations from using force to dismantle North Korea's incipient
nuke program.)

It may or may not work. But if the North's leadership is like Saddam
for Iraq or Assad for Syria, they will sit tight and count the days
that they would also go their ways.

Ok, my friend?

Cheers,

lo yeeOn

Post by lo yeeOn
Second, Trump has repeatedly said that he would not **allow** NK to
have nukes, period - deterrence or not.

North Korea already has nukes, and ICBMs capable of hitting the U.S.
mainland. North Korea, like China, has thousands of miles of tunnels.
It will not be easy to defeat North Korea. It will be another one like
the Vietnam War, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, the Syria War,...

Post by lo yeeOn
Third, Trump has very powerful people in Washington goading him on to
do something about North Korea so that it won't be able to stop us
from doing things in Far East Asia. (Letting North Korea have nukes
has the effect of telling the world that the U.S. has lost a lot of
influence.)
Trump's denuclearization strike plan (amidst the fog of diplomacy) is
becoming increasingly clear. It's telling North Korea that the
U.S. is not attempting regime change at this point in time, unless it
fires at U.S. assets - which will trigger immediate and irrevocable
reaction from the mighty U.S. military. So, if the NK elites aren't
crazy people, they will likely let the B2s take out their nuke
facilities like what happened in Operation Babylon, aka Operation
Opera, of 1981, when Israel took out the nuclear facility in Iraq. Or
look at what happened in Operation Orchard (2007), when Israel took
out a suspected reactor in Syria. Of course we all know the
subsequent travails of the people of Iraq and Syria. But at the
moment when somebody more powerful come in and tell you what you
cannot have, you'll just meekly let them in exchange for another day
in the sun. You choose the least bad option!
What Trump is doing to North Korea now is no different from those.
Basically, Trump was bargaining with North Korea. You won't live
long; but we'll spare you right now if you sit tight. ...
Fourth, China's Xi has gone to bed with Trump and when the Chinese
paper suggests that China will stay neutral, it is actually stating
China's official position v North Korea right now. It says it is all
for "denuclearization" on the Korean peninsula. That means that when
Trump sends the B2s to "denuclearize" the NK regime, China won't
object. And while North Korea can do a preemptive strike at the
incoming B2s, it cannot do so without exposing itself to Trump's ire
at the same time exposing itself to be an isolated target since China
will make good on its promise of not coming to NK's defense. But in
any case, NK is doomed when it doesn't have China to come to its aid.
And either way, North Korea has no good option.
North Korea will be a goner in a few years at the most, even if it
sits tight when Trump's B2s come and bomb out its nukes plus a few
more of those artillery sites behind the North's mountains. (What
happened to Iraq, after all?)
Fifth, Trump has been able to co-opt China to make his life easy by
making China oblige to be on the sidelines so that our bombers wouldn't
have to worry about PLA fighter planes nipping at their tails.
So, sixth, all Trump needs to do is to bark as loud as possible to
warn North Korea not to do anything stupid such as shooting at Guam.
If they hear it like many of us in America have, then they will meekly
walk away from their hard-earned nukes in exchange for a little more
(miserable) time in the sun. Pathetic, isn't it? But that is the
reality since nobody today is willing to pay the price of crossing the
U.S.!
(This is no longer 1945 or 1953. Putin is not Stalin and Xi is not
Mao who had a son who died fighting alongside the DPRK soldiers.)
Finally, Trump apparently took time to call the governor of Guam and
reassure him with the words: "we'll do a great job ... don't worry
about a thing ..." Now let me ask you why Trump was talking about
doing a great job that might worry the people of Guam? If Trump were
"don't worry about a thing ... 'cause North Korea won't dare to do
anything without facing annihilation from our ire (or our bombers)."
Why did Trump mention doing "a great job"? What job was he thinking
about doing that might affect Guam?
Ok, my friend?
Cheers,
lo yeeOn